Flash-light attachment for cameras.



v S. ROBSNBR.

FLASH LIGHT ATTACYHMENT FOR CAMERAS. APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1909.

961,021; Patented June 7,1910.

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....... fir-g v SIEGMUND ROESNER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FLASH-LIGHT ATTACHMENT FOR CAMERAS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 28, 1909.

Serial No. 498,821.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, SIEGMUND RoEsNEn, a subject of the Emperor of Russia,who have announced my intentions of becoming a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFlash-Light Attachments for Cameras,,of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements'in' flash-light devices for usein photography,

the chief object of the invention'being to provide an im roved devicewhereby a charge of flash-hght powder can be ignited through ,the agencyof an ordinary match, and in properly timed relation to the exposure-ofthe lens of the camera; a further object of the invention being toprovide improved means whereby the ignition of the powder and the oening of the shutter of the camera can be e ected throu h a singleactuation of the ordinary hand ulb employed in pneumatically operatedcamera shutters.

In an application heretofore filed by me on the 27th day of February,1909, Serial No. 180,4171, I have disclosed and claimed a flash-lightapparatus operable independently of the camera shutter, The flash-lightapparatus herein disclosed is similar in its main features to theapparatus shown and claimed in the aforesaid application, but embodiessome improvements thereon which, in art, are especially adapted anddesigned to acilitate the setting of'the apparatus and to render thedevice 0 erable by the same pn'eumatic impulse wliich opens the camerashutter. Theinvention will be readily understood when considered inconnection with the acc'ompanyin drawings illustrating one practicalembo iment o the invention, and in which- Figure 1 is a frontelevational view of the device shown as applied to an ordinary camera ofthe pneumatically operated shutter type. Fig. 2 is a top plan view .ofthe i itlon device on'a somewhat enlarged scale. 3 is a verticaltransverse section on a further enlar d scale through the ignitiondevice; and ig. 4 is a perspective. detail of a detachable andinterchangeable powderas an entirety an ordinary camera having apneumatically operated shutter, and 6 a rubber tube having the usualhand bulb 7. The tube 6 is connected by an ordinary Y-coupling 8 with apair of branch tubes 9 and 10, the former of which connects with thepneumatic cylinder 11 of the shutter-actuating mechanism.

Referring to the ignition device, 12 designates a base-plate, one end ofwhich 1s formed with a pair of narrow rectangular slots 13 adapted toreceive a cooperating pair of angularly bent tenons 14 formed on one endof a detachable powder-pan 15. This latter has an upstanding rear wallor shield 16 and, preferably, a counter-sunk ortion 17 adapted tocontain a flash power. This pan may be made of any suitable lengthaccording to the particular use of the camera, and, bein readilydetachable, may be easily replaced by longer or shorter pans accordingto the amount of powder required for the proper lighting of eachphotographic subject. In and between a pair of upstanding lugs 18 on thebase-plate 12 is journaled a shaft or drum 19 that is equipped with ahollow radially disposed tube 20 constituting a socket or holder for thestem of an ordinary match 21; the drum 19 and tube 20 thus constitutinga matchholder or carrier. The said match-holder is normally impelled toturn in a-direction to swing the head of the match over toward thepowder pan by means of a torsion spring 22 that is coiled around thedrum 19, one end thereof bein anchored at 23 in the bearing lug 18,while the'other end, shown at 24, hooks beneath the inner end of aradial detent arm 25 secured to said drum.

Soldered or otherwise suita'bl secured beneath and across the end of thease-plate 12 opposite that to which the powder pan is connected is acylinder 26, shown in sectional detail ,in Fig. 3, equipped at one endwith a nipple 27 adapted for the ready attachment thereto of thebranched tube 10. Slidably mounted in the cylinder 26 is a plunger 28,the rear end of which carries a hook or catch 29 that projects upwardlythrough registerin slots'30 and31 in'base-plate 12 and cy "nder 26,respectively. The lung: 28 is backed by a spring 32 ada te to com-Patented June 7 1910.

pressed between the rear en of said plunger 2 movement allowed by theslots-30 and '81.

The hook 2,9 is adapted to engage and hold the free end of the detentarm 25 of the match holder against the torsional efiect of the spring22; and to facilitate the engagement of said hook and arm, the upper endof the former is provided with an inclined edge 29 over which the detentarm rides as it is depressed into engagement with the hook, the hookyielding and then snapping back over the-depressed end of the arm, asclearly shown in Fi 3. Secured to the same end of the base-p ate 12,above the cylinder 26, is an upright supporting bracket 3 1-, to theupper end of which is hinged at 35 one end of a curved scratcller bar36, the opposite or free end of which latter normally overhangs theinner end of the powder-pan. This scratcherbar is provided on its underside with a roughened surface, herein shown as astrip of sand-paper 3'7suitably secured thereto; and said scratcher-bar is so located as to lieapproximately coincident with the path of travel of the head of thematch, so that, when the detent arm 25 is released, as hereinafterdescribed, the head of the match rubs over the roughened under surfaceof the scratcher bar, slightly raising the latter on its pivot, theweight of the bar insuring a sutticient frictional contact to ignite thematch. The match, when thus ignited, is thrown with its ignited headadjacent to the charge of powder, so that the latter is readily set off.

For convenience of supporting the ignition device in any suitableposition relatively to the camera, I have indicated a supporting rod 38,one end of which is connected by a ball and socket joint 39 to the underside of the baseplate 12, while its opposite end is secured by a wingnut 40 to a clamp -11 which may be secured by its binding screw 42 toany suitable or convenient support, such as is indicated at. 43.

The resistance of the spring 82 which opposes the riarward movement ofthe plunger 28 is such as to be slightly in excess of the resistanceafforded by the shutter-opening mechanism; and the required degree ofresistance in the spring 32 may be nicely adjusted by the screw-threadedplug The result of this is that, when a pneumatic impulse is transmittedthrough the tube 6 and branch tubes 9 and 10 by a compression of thehand bulb 7, the shutter opens slightly in advance of the retraction ofthe plunger 28 which releases the detent arm 25 and permits the ignitionof the powder. thus insuring the exposure of the sensitized film orplate to the person or object in advance of the lighting of such personor object by the burning of the powder. To reset the ignition device, itis necessary on y to throw back the detent arm 25, this latterautomatically reengaging itself with the hook 29, swing back thescratcher-bar, insert a match in the holder 20, and deposit a sufiicientcharge of powder on the powder-pan. The compression of the bulb 7 is, ofcourse, practically instantaneous; but irrespective of the speed withwhich the pneumatic impulse is transmitted, the greater resistanceafforded by the spring 32 insures that the camera shutter shall beopened when the ignition of the powder takes place.

I claim:

1. The combination with a camera having pneumatically operatedshutter-opening mechanism, of a flash-light ignition device having ascratcher-bar, a pivoted springactuated match-holder, a detent armcarried by said match-holder, an air cylinder, :1 plunger in saidcylinder having an automatic catch to engage said detent arm, and aspring normally urging said plunger in a direction to engage said catchwith said detent arm, a hand bulb, and a branched tube for transmittinga pneumatic impulse from said bulb to both said shutter-openingmechanism and said air cylinder, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a camera having pneumatically operatedshutter-opening mechanism, of a flashlight ignition device having ascratcher-bar, a pivoted springactuated match-holder, a detent armcarried by said match-holder, an air cylinder, :1 plunger in saidcylinder having an automatic catch to engage said detent arm, a

spring normally urging said plunger in a direction to engage said catchwith said detent arm, a hand bulb, a b'anched tube for transmitting apneumatic impulse from said bulb to both said shutter-opening mechanismand said air cylinder, and means for adjusting the tension of saidspring, substantially as described.

The combination with a camera having pneumatically operatedshutteropening mechanism, of a flash-light ignition device comprising abase-plate, a pivoted springactuated match-holder, a pivotedscratcherbar, and a powder-pan all mounted on the said base-plate, anair cylinder carried by said base-plate, a plunger therein, a detentmechanism for said match-holder comprising a detent arm on saidmatch-holder, a hook-shaped catch for said arm carried by said plungerand having a beveled upper edge, and a spring normally urging saidplunger in a direction to engage said catch with said detent arm, a handbulb, a branched tube for transmitting apneumatic impulse trom said bulbto said shutter-openin mechanism and said cylinder, and an ad ustabIeabutment member for said spring, substantially as described.

SIEGMUND ROESNER.

lVitnesses SAMUEL N. PoNo, Ma'i'rm B. BLISS.

